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The skeptics say that Apple Inc. has a lot of nerve, pushing out new products with the claims that they are game-changers, magical, insanely great and all that jazz. Certainly no company can hit a home run every single time, and, besides, there are competitors lining up to eat Apple’s lunch, including the dessert.

Contrast Apple’s egotistical behavior with that of Microsoft, which promises to imitate a competitor’s product next year or the year after that. It doesn’t seem to make sense to want to denigrate your own product, but if you can’t match or beat the competition, at least show your good intentions.

Now last week’s product announcements are, as usual a mixed bag. While the chatter is pretty positive about the new iPods and the attempt to take Apple TV beyond the “hobby” category, it seems that Apple’s efforts at social networking, by adding the Ping service to iTunes 10, are drawing criticisms. I mean, do you really need another Face-book or Twitter? Isn’t one of each quite enough for your busy life?